Thursday, November 8, 2018

When I was younger, I wanted to do a lot of things: sing, act, dance,
gymnastics, and so much more. But guess what?...I did none of them.
My low self-esteem held me back. I was scared of what people would
do if they saw me. Would they laugh? Would I get booed off stage? I
was afraid I wouldn't be good enough. I think about this now, and I
wish I had tried at least one of those activities. I also wish someone
had encouraged me to try something that I really wanted to do, even
though I was fearful.

If you're scared, I want to encourage you to follow at least one of your
dreams. Tell yourself that you can be what you want to be, and don't
worry about how people will react. How can you ever be happy if you
are constantly worrying about what other people will say, feel, or think?
It's your responsibility to choose activities that will lift you up in a pos-
itive way. Even if you're not the best at something, the fact that you tried
may lead you to the life you desire.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Everybody knows that safety is an issue when it comes to being online, but
now that you can be live on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, I think
safety is even more of an issue...especially for young people.

Sure, there are some adults that shouldn't be live, but when you're young,
you're live, and people know your location, you're putting yourself in some
major danger. Keep in mind young people, it's not only your friends who
are watching your videos. Bad people may be turned on by you. They may
want to find you. They may want to talk you into meeting them somewhere.
Prancing around showing off your body for likes and followers could end
up putting you in a dangerous situation.

Parents...Do you know if your child is making live videos? You need to
find out. We all need to try our best to keep ourselves and our loved ones
safe.

Friday, June 9, 2017

My sister had to have three warts removed from her hands, and she was told
the procedure would only require a local anesthetic. But two days before the
surgery, she was told she'd have to be sedated. She questioned the need for
sedation and the secretary said, "Everybody does it." I told her sedation made
no sense, and I looked up hand surgery for warts online. Not only was seda-
tion unnecessary, but doctors can even do some carpal tunnel surgery with-
out sedation now. When she talked to the doctor's office again, she stood
firm on her decision and refused to be sedated. During her surgery, she was
numbed with a local anesthetic and she didn't feel a thing.

My sister's situation is proof that you should always stand up for yourself
when someone doesn't have your best interests at heart. The medical facility
would have made hundreds of extra dollars by charging her for unneeded
drugs while causing needless risks to her health...that's just wrong.